alloy wheel buckling problem

[wandaria]

Folks had my 08 tf comfortvan serviced the other day with 120000 ks on the clock and I was hearing/feeling a shudder effect, much like th eosund when you have a single window down. Anyway with the service the dealership advised that all 4 wheels were buckled.

They are the standard alloy wheels that came with the vehicle 16 inch jobs.

I can only thnk that the odd pot hole has done the job, but geez all 4 to be buckled sometime in the last couple of months amazes me.

Anyway, does anyone have any knowledge or experience with a similar thing occuring naturally so to speak.

[MultiplexMan]

I've never seen buckled OEM alloy wheels - of any brand. OEM alloys are usually over engineered and heavy.

Are you running Miyato wheels? These are very heavy - my T5 pick up improved so much when I switched to 16" steelies. Do you have any other damage? It would not do the driveline any good to be running four buckled wheels.

I have seen cheap cast alloy wheels that have fractured and cracked with street use. Buckled alloy wheels are more typically found on two or three piece rims running low profile tyres.

Post pics please.

[Sunny43.5]

We had a problem last year coming back from holidays , could feel a sort of rythmic vibration for about 20 kays I thought it was some sort of drive train problem until a loud bang destroyed front passengers tyre . I mean this sucker was totally destroyed outer side looked fine but the whole inside wall was gone . The sound and vibration had been the tyre delaminating then self destructing it was a very hot summers day. It turned out for the good as the manufactureres supplied us with two brand new tyres as we found small splits in another tyre it was a faulty batch . Only a suggestion for you .Howard

[rob64981]

Anyway with the service the dealership advised that all 4 wheels were buckled.

Can you explain how they found out all four wheels were buckled?

Did they just stick them on the balance machine?

If so then it could be the tyres are passed there best?

I can not see them pulling the tyres off and testing the wheels on there own can you?

Might be worth asking as I have never heard of any OEM wheels over in Europe or here buckling never mind four on one van!

Maybe you should share you lotto umbers with us!.....

Hope you get things sorted soon Rob

[wandaria]

The rims are the factory originals that come with the 08 t5 comfortline multivan. The wife took the vehicle for its service and by the time she got home after the 2 hour drive it was 8 oclock pm so the dealership was closed so I cannot say how they tested them until I speak with them Monday. They advsied my wife that the buckled wheels were the problem and supplied a very basic quote. All done through the VW dealership in Rockhampton Qld. I am not thinking anything shonky on there behalf at this time. They advised that we must have been doing a lot of hard bump riding through potholes etc, certainly don't do that sort of thing intentionally. Anyway will get my locate mate mechnic to have a look at the wheels adn get him to give me an opinion

[Transporter]

What ever brand of the tyre you have, go to the tyre place that sells them and let them to check the wheels for excessive run out. They will also take the tyres off the rims and check the rims on the the tyre balancing machine and if they find the tyres to be faulty the would contact that tyre brand rep. and after he agrees they would replace your tyres. If your tyres have most of the threads on, it could be done at no cost to you.

I had faulty 2 tyres on our brand new Golf from the day one, it took me 3 trips to Bob Jane to replace 2 Good Year Eagle NCT5 made in South Africa.

Tyre radial run out how you can check it at home

and here is how to check it properly

[Cousin]

And kids, it doesn't matter what mummy and daddy says, don't do that at home with your 4Motion!


M

[Umai Naa!!]

^^LOL!

Anyways, it's still possible to have all four wheels buckled. They may not have all buckled in the same incident, though. Generally, a slight buckle can be balanced out, but a largish one (You'll be able to see it on the inner edge) might not be so easy to rectify. They tend to crack when you put them in the press

Perhaps they made an attempt to balance them, but couldn't get a consistant reading on the balancer. This can sometimes be caused by tyre quality. Cheaper tyres can cause inconsistancy on the balancer.

Low tyre pressure can make the rims more prone to buckling, too.

[Sunny43.5]

You dont say if the noise has just started or has it been ongoing for some time ? I very much doubt that all 4 wheels are damaged , our T5 we have had since first release we got one of the first ones in Qld . We ordered alloys when we bought it but when they arrived they were the wrong size , rather than wait another 3 months for another shipment I went off and bought a set of alloys from Keith 4 Wheels here in Brissie , as the van is not used for commercial use we had a good choice of style as the wheels are the same size offset etc as Holden Commodore,s We fiited the original tyres from the factory to our new wheels , at each time they need repalcing we have used Nankangs of the correct rating { Yes I am a tight arse when it comes to tyres as the Nankangs have lasted as long as the originals} . Now other than the two tyres that were faulty last year we have done some hard kays . The van was is lowered and I have to be honest here it occasionally hits the bump stops on potholes etc with a loud resounding bang but even so the wheels have never had the slightest indication or signs of buckling . Plus our driving takes us down some pretty gnarly dirt roads so the wheels cop it a lot . I can,t imagine factory wheels being that weak , I would get a second opinion and check for any signs of uneven wear on the tyres . Hope this helps Howard

[wandaria]

Took the BEAST to a specialsit tyre/wheel place and they confirmed etc that the wheels were buckled, anyway they UN-buckled them at a price of 100 dollars a wheel, bit cheaper than the replacement option.

[Sunny43.5]

Remind myself to stay off the roads you use if this has happened !!!! Howard

[mikinoz]

I thought NSW roads were bad!!